Mickey Mouse gas masks? (6 PHOTOS)

I gotta say, there isn’t much more intimidating than a column of riot police wearing gas masks. But it would be completely psycho to see row after row of riot cops wearing Mickey Mouse gas masks and I’m pretty sure if they were headed my way I’d drop a load of bricks faster than a meth-addled mason.

“On January 7th, 1942, one month after Pearl Harbor, T.W. Smith, Jr., the owner of the Sun Rubber Company, and his designer, Dietrich Rempel, with Walt Disney’s approval introduced a protective mask for children. This design of the Mickey Mouse Gas Mask for children was presented to Major General William N. Porter, Chief of the Chemical Warfare Service. After approval of the CWS, Sun Rubber Products Company produced sample masks for review. Other comic book character designs were to follow, depending on the success of the Mickey Mouse mask.

“The mask was designed so children would carry it and wear it as part of a game. This would reduce the fear associated with wearing a gas mask and hopefully, improve their wear time and, hence, survivability.”